Of Christmas Lights and Bro Hugs
by JeffersonianGirl2004
Summary: When Sarah Grace wants to go and see the Christmas lights with her father Kevin Ryan decides to ask his NYPD partner Javier Esposito along. Christmas lights, heavy snowfall and general cuteness occur. 4 DAYS 'TILL XMAS!


_AN: I don't own Castle_

 _So it's the next day of my Christmas week multi-fandom uploads and it's time for Castle. I decided that I would write something a bit different then the tradition Caskett stories and I'm pretty fond._

 _Enjoy!_

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 **DECEMBER 2015**

"But Mommy everyone in my day care class gets to go and see the Christmas lights!" Sarah Grace Ryan announced exasperatedly as she stood before her mother. Jenny Ryan watched as the child placed her hands on her hips and extended her bottom lip in a show of her anger.

Jenny let out a groan. She loved her daughter, there was no doubting that, but the woman was a good six months pregnant and she really didn't feel like walking around New York all night in search for the brightest fairy lights. "Sarah Grace I honestly doubt that everyone in your class is going. What about Kathy?"

Jenny Ryan new for a fact that Kathy's mother was a single mom with three children and the last thing on her mind would be taking her daughter to see the Christmas lights.

"Well she's going with Lizzie, who's also in my class. I don't wanna be the only one who doesn't get to go mommy!"

Just as Sarah Grace began to yell her mother heard the gentle sound of the key turning in the lock on the front door. Never in all her life had she been so grateful to see her husband return home. "Jenny, Sarah Grace, I'm home!"

The Homicide detective entered the room. His light brown hair was speckled with the same snow that also stood out from the sleeves of his overcoat. "Hey!" He began exuberantly. "How were your days, my two special girls?"

"Lovely honey. I went out for coffee with the girls from my book club before I picked up Sarah Grace."

"And how was she?" he asked curiously before he turned to his daughter. "You haven't been too much trouble for your mommy have you?"

"No daddy but mommy is MEAN!" The girl announced, "she won't even let me go to see the Christmas lights because she says that she's going to be too tired because of the baby!"

Kevin Ryan shrugged, "Sweetheart I honestly don't believe that your mommy is mean. She might just get sore feet if she walks round a lot but that doesn't mean that I can't take you myself."

Sarah Grace's large blue eyes suddenly grew twice their usual size and she smiled a smile so bright it could power an entire city. "Really daddy?"

The detective smiled, completely unaware of just how strenuous an outing with Sarah Grace would be, "yeah of course! We can go tomorrow night as long as it's okay with your mommy."

The blonde child turned to her mother, "please mommy you have to let me go see the lights with daddy."

Jenny shrugged, "well I don't see why not." She grinned at her daughter before she mouthed a silent 'thank you' to her husband.

X-X-X-X

"So Javi you have any plans for Christmas?" Kevin Ryan asked as he peered up from the computer screen that was poised on his desk.

His partner, who was seated at the desk beside his, in the Twelfth Precinct shrugged. "Nah not really. You see last year what happened with Lanie and all sorta put a damper on Christmas for me. Hey bro you got anything organised?"

"Not really. Jenny's mother has invited us all around to her place for Christmas lunch. Supposably it's going to be a family affair with all of Jenny's cousins and I'm thinking of asking whether Gwen would like to come along too."

"Sounds…busy. Anyway I have a question. Bro would you like to come the cinema tonight. Castle's been raving about the new Indestructibles movie and I'm really itching to see it so I can prove all his rave reviews wrong. Honestly man who wants to see aging actors acting as though they're the best things on the planet?"

"Ahh that sounds great but it's going to have to be another time. You see Espo I promised to take Sarah Grace out to see the Christmas lights hanging around New York. We'll walk through the shopping precincts and check out the light displays."

"Christmas lights, that reminds me of when I was young. My mom would take me to see them in the department store. I remember she'd save every last penny for that bus ride." Esposito gazed forlornly across the precinct as he remembered another, very different, time.

"Yeah me too bro. Gwen used to always take me. I can never forget all the times that she really lived up to her title as older sister."

Esposito nodded slowly. "Hey while we're on this topic I'm wondering if I can come along too. You know so I can check out the lights with you and Sarah Grace."

"Yeah I don't see how that could hurt. It should be fun, Sarah Grace said she was really missing her Uncle Javi." Ryan grinned at his partner.

"Thanks man," the Hispanic man answered with a nod. "I've just gotta finish this paperwork or Captain Beckett's gonna flip."

"Hey we all don't want that. Especially since her break up with Castle." It was true that the detective had been extra irritable since she and the writer seemed to call it quits.

"Well you do that, I'm just fetching a soda from the vending machine. I'll toss you one?"

"Yeah, great bro," Javier responded but his eyes were already cast back over his computer.

X-X-X-X

"Daddy, daddy can we go yet?" Sarah Grace asked as she ran toward her father. The three year old was dressed in a soft pink coat with little purple and white striped leggings and pink gumboots. On her hands were a pair of small yellow mittens and a matching yellow beanie sat atop her two light brown pigtails.

Kevin smiled lovingly at his daughter. She was the complete vision of innocence and the opposite of the dirt bags that he put away at the precinct each day. "Yeah Sarah Grace, we'll leave in a moment but we still have to wait for your uncle Javi."

The child's eyes lit up, "oh yeah Uncle Javi!" She exclaimed and she bounced eagerly from foot to foot. "I forgot that he was going to come with us to. I guess I was just busy thinking about all of the pretty lights! Josie at my day care even says that her grandma is putting up a huge blow up Santa!"

The Irish cop chuckled at his toddler's excitement. "Well I don't think we'll see any giant Santas but I think that the shop fronts might have some pretty lights!"

"Yeah they might even have warm cinnamon donuts that granny says she likes!"

Ryan began to formulate his reply but before any words were out the doorbell rung. "UNCLE JAVI!" Screeched Sarah Grace as she jumped up and sprinted down the apartment's thin hall.

She peered through the peephole, like her father had taught her, and after seeing the other homicide detective she threw the door open. "Uncle Javi!" She threw her arms around Esposito even before he could walk into the hall. "Daddy said that you were coming to see the lights with us and we were just waiting for you!"

"Hey, hey sweetie let Javier get inside before you climb all over him." Ryan led his daughter out of Esposito's path. "Sorry man, she's just excited."

"Well dah I can see that!" Esposito retorted with a smile. "It's fine bro, I'd be excited too if I was her age and it was Christmas."

Kevin scratched at the back of his mass of light brown hair thoughtfully. "Great. So we better be off now don't you think?"

"Yep!" Both the man's partner and daughter chorused gleefully.

X-X-X-X

Soon enough the trio were walking down the bustling streets of downtown New York. "Look, look," cried Sarah Grace as she pointed toward a storefront. Along the doorframe and on the windowsills were thousands of tiny rainbow bulbs.

"That's very pretty Sarah Grace," Esposito replied with a smile. "Would you like me to get a photo of it for you?"

"Yeah Uncle Javi but I also want to go inside!"

Both Ryan and Esposito scanned the store before deciding that they'd take Sarah Grace in.

"Come on Sweetie," Ryan said with a smile. "If we don't hurry it will be closing soon."

Inside the store Christmas decorations lined the walls and Christmas trees were standing tall along the floor. It was one of those pop-up Christmas shops that only appeared for the festive season before being replaced with a different store for the rest of the year.

Sarah Grace ran toward the wall of hanging decorations. She reached out with a tiny glove coated hand and gently tapped one that was shaped like a bell. It let out a soft tinkle and the child grinned.

"Daddy can I get one of these decorations?" The child asked with her eyes wide in an undeniable fashion. "Please?"

Ryan hated saying no to his daughter but he decided that he had already spent too much on the child's Christmas gifts. New bikes weren't cheap and he knew that soon enough he'd have to go back to purchasing diapers for the newborn. "Well sweetheart I think it's very pretty but you should maybe put it on your Christmas list for next year."

At her father's response the child's eye immediately began to fill with tears, "but I really, really want it daddy!"

Ryan shook his head and decided that the best thing to do would be to leave the shop now in order to prevent anymore tantrums but his partner had thankfully already stepped in. "Hey bro how about I buy the reindeer for Sarah Grace as a little Christmas gesture?"

The younger man nodded slowly, "you know you don't have to do that Espo…"

"Hey man, don't give me any of that. It's Christmas and I'd like to get Sarah Grace a gift." The Latino detective turned to the blonde child. "Do you like my idea?"

She beamed and began nodding her small head enthusiastically. "Uncle Javi you're the best!" She declared as she threw her small arms around the cop.

"How about we go and pay for it now, okay?" He waited until the child began to hurry toward the counter before he flashed her father a thumbs up.

'Thanks,' Kevin mouthed.

'What are partners for?'

X-X-X-X

"Daddy, daddy I want to go and see Santa." Sarah Grace may have been looking at lights for the last hour and a bit but all of her energy hadn't even seemed to waver slightly.

"Where is Santa?" Ryan asked as he tightened his long woollen scarf around his neck.

"In there!" She declared as she pointed to a department store just across the pavement. "You see my friend Danielle always goes to visit him in that shop with her mommy and I need to tell him my secret Christmas wish!"

"Okay sweetheart, lead the way."

X-X-X-X

"Look there he is!" Sarah Grace cried as she pointed to a large chair sitting in the Children's Department.

Ryan surveyed the line up and thankfully there were only a couple of people before them.

"I remember going to see Santa Claus with my mom when I was your age. You see I always wanted a skateboard, the kind like the cool boys always had, and one year I told it Santa and on Christmas morning can you guess what I found?"

"A skateboard?"

"Yep and I think I was the happiest boy on the entire street that morning." Esposito found himself smiling nostalgically at the memory before a female voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"So what are you going to ask Santa Claus for today pumpkin?" A tall girl dressed as an elf stood before Sarah Grace with a large smile on her face.

"Well it's a surprise but I guess I can tell you since you are one of Santa's special helpers." Sarah Grace paused for a moment before she edged a step closer to the girl and began to whisper. "I want a kitten. An orange one and I want to call her Peaches!"

The elf smiled, "well I think you should tell that to Santa but as long as you've been a good girl all year I think you might be in a with a chance to find Peaches under your tree."

The child grinned before she embraced the woman, "Thanks Miss Elf, make sure you tell Santa how good I am."

The lady nodded, "I promise I'll put in a good word but if you would like to come with me you can tell him yourself."

The three year old nodded and followed the elf obediently toward Santa Clause's chair.

"Ho, ho, ho so who's coming to see me next?" The beared man asked with a smile.

"Hi Santa my name is Sarah Grace!"

"Well Sarah Grace would you like to come and sit up on my knee?"

The girl smiled and hurried over to Santa.

"So have you been a good girl this year?" Santa asked.

"Aha, I've been super duper good. I have even helped mommy set the table!"

"Well that sure is good to hear. Considering that I think I'll be visiting on Christmas Even what would you like to find under the tree?"

"I want a kitten," she began quietly. "I want a girl ginger kitten and I want to call her Peaches."

"Well I'll see what I can do but Sarah Grace would you like to have a quick photo before you leave?"

Sarah Grace nodded and as the female elf snapped the picture Esposito turned to his partner. "So are you actually planning on getting her a kitten?"

Ryan nodded, "yep we've met with the breeder and I'm happy to say that Peaches is going to be under the tree on Christmas morning."

Javier smiled, "boy you really do make a good father Kevin Ryan."

"Daddy, daddy Santa said that he'd bring me Peaches!" Sarah Grace announced as she bounded toward her father.

"Did he now?" Ryan asked. "I wonder how Peaches is going to like being brought all the way from the North Pole to our apartment in Santa's sack?"

"She'll be fine I think. Santa will probably keep her all comfy with the soft toys!"

Sarah Grace grabbed her father's hand and turned to look up at him. "Thanks daddy, I really do like seeing the Christmas lights!"

Ryan smiled proudly, "anytime sweetheart, anytime."

THE END

 _ **MERRY CHRISTMAS 2015**_

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 _AN: So I hoped you enjoyed. That was my first attempt at the Ryan family._

 _REVIEW!_


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